A LADY NAMED ROSE
Chapter Twenty-Five
Rose steeled herself for a barrage of
questions from Angelica about the wedding and what brought her back to campus
so early, but her roommate was wrapped up in preparations for her lead role in Antigone
the following weekend. It wasn't just the fact that she'd beaten out several
upperclassmen for the part that had Angelica giddy with excitement. Her
father's protégé, the mysterious Sebastian, was going to attend one of the
performances.
At least, she told Rose, "He said he'd
make a special effort to be here."
Rose knew that the man had made a
"special effort" to be lots of places where Angelica was concerned,
but she hadn't met him yet and didn't expect to that Saturday. For the sake of
peace, she kept her mouth shut.
Angelica skipped luncheon Saturday to attend
dress rehearsal. She was on pins and needles that morning as she tried on her
toga and fidgeted with the straps on one of the sandals, which didn't seem to
want to fasten.
"I look terrible, just terrible!"
she cried, twisting and turning in her bureau mirror.
Rose knew what was required of her--to soothe
her roommate's fragile ego by telling her how beautiful she was. But the events
at Meg's reception left her feeling bitter and she wasn't in the mood.
"You'd better hurry or you'll be late," she snapped.
Angelica turned slowly in her chair and gave
Rose an icy look. "My word, are we testy this morning!"
A brisk knock at the door headed off what
could have been a nasty confrontation. Vera and Charlotte, come to wish
Angelica luck.
"Break a leg," Vera said, adding
with a mischievous grin, "and I do mean that."
"That costume looks wonderful on
you!" Charlotte offered the adoration that Rose wouldn't--and
single-handedly restored Angelica's confidence.
"Thank you!" she gushed, and gave
both women quick hugs. "I must take it off now--I can't risk getting it
dirty before rehearsal. I'll be seeing all of you at the matinee?"
Charlotte avoided her eyes.
"Well..."
"Actually, we'll only be attending the
evening performance," Vera explained. "I have to study, and
Charlotte." Here she paused. "Will be spending the afternoon with her
new beau."
"Vera!" Charlotte exclaimed, her
face reddening, as Rose and Angelica gaped at her.
Vera smiled, relishing the opportunity to
gossip. "Oh, Charlotte, don't be so modest. They'd find out soon enough,
anyway. He's a cadet at West Point," she told Rose and Angelica, who were
hanging onto every word. "They met in Boston. Their fathers are
friends."
"They won't be anymore once my father
finds out," Charlotte mumbled.
"Why not?" Vera chided. "At
least he knows he's from a good family."
"Who says he'll find out, anyway?"
Angelica teased.
"Our lips are sealed," Rose added.
"Well, thank you, ladies. I wish I had
as much faith as you do." Charlotte pulled her wrap tighter around her
thin frame. "I'm sorry I can't be at the matinee, but I'm sure you won't
miss me," she said to Angelica. "I have to get going. I want to
surprise Arthur and meet him when he gets off the ferry."
They could only stare after her when she
left.
"Well," Angelica said finally.
"So that's what brought the color to her cheeks. Do you think she'll start
eating like a normal person now?"
*****
The Geisels would only be arriving in time
for the evening performance, but there was one person Angelica could count upon
to attend both shows: Rose. She'd expected an argument from the Scotts when she
told them she needed two weekends in a row off and instead was met with
near-indifference.
Something was...not quite right in the
household. Rose couldn't put a finger on why but it seemed that Mr. and Mrs.
Scott were gradually growing more distant with each other; Victoria was
retiring to her room earlier each evening, while William was spending more time
at his office in New York. Cecilia, meanwhile, wasn't growing quickly enough to
please Dr. Wells, and a series of colds kept her indoors all winter, making her
appear even more frail than her brothers and sisters than usual. Bill stayed
away, while the other children reacted by fighting with each other.
Rose wondered how they would react when she
told them she planned to attend summer session.
She arrived at the theater early, and though the
auditorium was filling quickly, was pleased to find an aisle seat close to the
stage. As the curtain lifted on the royal palace of Oedipus and Angelica
stepped onto the stage, Rose felt someone leaning over her.
"Excuse me," came a loud whisper at
her shoulder. "Is that seat taken?"
Rose looked up, startled at the interruption,
and her gaze was met by a pair of sensual gray eyes. The man nodded at the
empty seat beside her.
"No," she responded, visibly caught
off guard and not liking it one bit. The man stared back at her expectantly,
and she realized he couldn't get past her unless she stood.
"So sorry," he apologized as he
squeezed by. Rose detected what she thought was a slight British accent. She
mumbled an acknowledgment of his apology, and turned her attention back to the
stage.
Five whole minutes went by before he
distracted her again. "Louder," he said softly, addressing the young
woman playing the role of Antigone's sister, Ismene. The comment was clearly
intended for his ears only, but Rose heard.
Shortly thereafter, when a member of the
chorus mispronounced a name, the man quietly berated her. This time, Rose
wasn't the only one to overhear. A stately couple in the row in front of them
turned around and cast withering looks in his direction. He apologized...then
when Ismene took the stage again, he once again pointed out how soft-spoken she
was.
"She needs to project," he
protested when the woman seated to his left glared at him.
"She's my daughter," the
woman responded haughtily, "and I think she sounds just fine."
"Maybe to you, but I'll bet the back row
can't understand a word she's saying."
This time, a number of patrons shushed him,
and the man was quiet--for a few minutes at least. When Angelica began her
closing soliloquy he leaned forward and said, "Turn this way."
Angelica was facing slightly stage right, so
that her back was turned to their section of the audience. "This
way," the man repeated.
"Will you please be quiet!"
demanded Ismene's mother. Another chorus of "Shh!" summoned an usherette,
who threatened to have the unruly man removed if he couldn't keep his remarks
to himself.
He obliged and remained silent until the
final curtain, when he stood and applauded politely along with the rest of the
audience, until Angelica took her bow. He began to clap louder, and shouted,
"Bravo!" with healthy enthusiasm, drawing more dirty looks, but this
time no one said a word.
Rose saw Angelica glance in her direction and
waved. Her roommate smiled. She looked positively radiant.
As the crowd began to filter out of the
theater, the man beside Rose said, "Sorry if I disturbed you. I get a bit
carried away at times."
"A lot carried away, I'd say," Rose
grumbled. "I missed most of my roommate's big speech because of you."
"Your roommate was Antigone?" His
tone displayed more than mild curiosity.
"Yes." Rose turned to leave,
anxious to put some distance between them.
He followed her down the aisle toward the
stage, where she planned to greet Angelica on her way out of the dressing room.
"She's extremely talented. Would you mind terribly if I asked for an
introduction?"
She spun on her heels and examined him in the
glare of the theater lights for the first time. He was tall, over six feet,
with wavy light brown hair over a lean, sculpted face. If his eyes were
stunning in the darkness, they were incredibly powerful now. A thin mustache
rested above a mouth full of even teeth.
He's laughing at me, Rose thought, and flushed.
Best to go on the offensive. "Why should
I introduce you? You were very rude during her performance."
The smile broadened. "A loyal and
protective friend, I see. Again, I apologize. I was only joking. What I was
really hoping was for you to accompany me to a professional play next
weekend."
Rose gasped.
"You're here!" Angelica suddenly
barreled past her and threw her arms around the gentleman, ignoring the
disapproving stares from onlookers. "Rose," she said excitedly,
"this is Sebastian Garrett. He came all the way from New York to see me
perform. Sebastian, Rose Dawson."
"Pleased to meet you, Rose," he
said, reaching for her hand, and as he brought it to his lips she realized whom
her roommate had really been smiling at from the stage.